Why Paintings of Guitars? Q and A with Artist Michael Babyak – Part 1

Why Paintings of Guitars?
Paint What You Love
Q & A with a guy who decided to make paintings of guitars

GP: First, thanks for taking the time to talk with me.
MB: Thanks for your interest.

GP: Let’s jump right in, why paintings of guitars?
MB: I love electric guitars. Didn’t Ivan Karp tell Warhol to “Paint what you love”? So he did and we got tomato soup cans. So I also paint what I love. Painting-wise I hit a roadblock about 20 years ago. Nothing excited me subject wise. I did have strong feelings for electric guitar and electric guitar driven music. One thing led to another.

GP: Ah, so your passion became your subject?
MP: Yes, it seems so. I spent much time playing guitar, what better way to spend more time with guitars than to make paintings of them. It was a good excuse to always have a guitar in the painting studio as well.

GP: So how was this new subject received by your audience?
MB: At that time, the mid-1990s, I was still living in New York City and selling my work on the street and at street fairs. There was a big street fair on Columbus Avenue and I had some of these guitar pieces on the back wall of my display. At one point in the day I turn to see Pat Metheny checking them out. I knew then the communication was happening.

GP: Wow, you must have lots of celebrity collectors. Who’s the most exciting one to date?
MB: Over the years there have been several celebrity collectors including one of the Beatles. Ringo Starr. He bought four of my original guitar paintings from a gallery in Manhattan. Pretty amazing to be collected by a Beatle.